Spike Lee’s Memorial to Black Men Killed by Police Grows by One

Since the death of Eric Garner at the hands of police on July 18, Spike Lee has begun a memorial project outside the Fort Greene headquarters of his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, featuring images by the artist Adrian Franks of black men killed by law enforcement. The latest addition is the image of Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old man shot in the back three times by police in Los Angeles.

That such a memorial should even need to exist is a tragedy, but 40 Acres’ tree-lined stretch of South Elliott Place offers a quiet moment of reflection. Franks’ images of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, John Crawford III, and Ezell Ford are large, high-contrast portraits backed with bold colors. Each features a quotation or a message—”I can’t breathe,” for Eric Garner; “My hands are up,” for Mike Brown—and “RIP,” or, “Rest in Power.”